Star Wars Chapter 4, The Prologue
by Hamfast Gamgee
Summary: Just a little alternative beginning of mine to the famous one!


It was a dark chamber. Nothing at all could be seen, save blackness. A switch and on came the lights. But what was seen was not that much better than blackness, really. A whole jumble of vegetation in a greenhouse. A young blond-haired man dressed in yellow and black looked upon it and sighed, 'Looks like more work for me! This is just so dull. I wouldn't mind, but this is the 10th one today. I want to be at the bar this evening I could certainly do with a drink. I don't suppose I could just ignore this one: No, we could develop Zapt and Uncle Owen would know this was me. Better get to it. This must be the worst job I have in all of Tantooine!'

The young man was called Luke. Luke Skywalker. He was wrong in that statement as he really knew. There were those that had far worse jobs than him! But Luke was at the end of a long, hard, shift so perhaps the young man could be forgiven for a bit of exaggeration.

To be fair to him, Mr. L. Skywalker did a decent job. He scrubbed the sides, pulled many weeds, tidied up the mess around the foot of the bigger plants for around 20 mins Mr. Skywalker was very busy. Then satisfied with his efforts he closed the door with a smile then pointed at the greenhouse and it shut down into darkness again. Then Luke quickly departed.

Luke smiled and looked at his credits. Enough for a reasonable evening he thought to himself and hurried along to a parking shed, 'Hi, 4f,' he said to a very beaten -up X1 unit that had seen better days. Luke looked at his trusty land-speeder but decided against using it. Instead, he climbed into his Hooper, an odd looking vehicle but fast and capable of flight. For about five minutes Luke shouted with joy as he flew in the air at speeds of over 250 mph. A good thing too as he negotiated the deep ravine of Ivanhoe with no fuss and in no time at all landed in the sand outside the Inn. The Inn was called the Red Jawa and was modelled upon an old fashioned style Pub but made for a slightly odd looking sight in the baking desert.

'Ah, here he is, hi Luke!' said Biggs Darklighter a man of roughtly Luke's age that Luke knew giving him a wave, 'a little late!' he smiled,

'Having had to clean out 10 greenhouses its a bit lucky I'm her at all.' Luke replied and ordered a beer.

'A job of a moisture Farmer is never done so they say!' purred a smooth voice. Ben Kenobi! Luke looked in joy at an old man that he'd always considered to be a sort of Grandfather of his. Especially as he had never known his real parents, been an orphan and bought up by Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru.

'Ben! Haven't seen you for years. How have you been? I have heard that you have had much more of an exciting life than I thought! What was it? Slaying Dragons, collecting hoardes of Treasure, restoring Kings to their rightful thrones!' Luke said excitedly, looking at old man in brown robes called Ben Kenobi that he hadn't seen for quite a few months

'Well, if you mean I rode a Dragon which requires more skill than slaying one, lost some treasure, the King was in fact a Prince of whom the least said about the better you may be correct!' Funny how these tales get around,' the old man smiled.

'You fancy a beer?' Luke asked him,

'Yes, but not that stuff you're drinking. I'll have an Old Alderian please!' Old Alderian waswhat was known as real Ale, an alcoholic drink that had flavour but was a little warm, so drinking it in a desert climate was odd. 'But the taste is good, full and strong!' said Ben. Ben seemed to be justifying his tastes. At least he could taste something in his beer, however.

'Any chance of some of that nice Pie?' Luke asked the bar maid, Sally.

'Yes, but you know the rules in the evening. You go cook it yourself,' she sniffed at him. Relations between Sally and Luke were a little cool ever since Luke had unwittingly stood her up on a date well, he was a busy and sometimes forgetful young man he had just forgotten. Despite his apology and the fact that Sally was now happily with another man she still hadn't really forgiven him.

Luke smiled and put a Pie on the cooker. he stood down with Biggs, Ben and an older man he knew, Ted.

'So, how are you keeping young Luke' Ben asked. Luke sighed. This was a sore point.

'I am frankly so utterly bored with Farm work. Farming is definitely not in my blood whatever Uncle Owen says. 10 greenhouses I've organized today and that's not unusual!'

'What does Uncle Owen say?' Ben asked,

'He says that Tatooine has everything a young man should desire for a happy life!'

'As long as he likes sand!' laughed Biggs and the others,

'All very well for you to joke, Biggs, you're off to the Academy soon, wish to hell I was,' Luke said.

'Yes I am. But life can be, interesting, outside, Luke. Sometimes you can be late for dinner or maybe go for days without beer I have heard. I might come to yearn for the familiar comforts of home,' Biggs cautioned. Though Biggs was quite a bit excited himself of to the Imperial Academy that many young people in the farm sands of Tatooine yearned for.

'I'll risk it!'

'Any chance of another drink?' asked Ted,

'Sallys gone to the cellar,' said Biggs but Luke smiled and pointing his hand as though with magic 4 glasses flew to their correct place to quicken Sally's task when she returned.

'Haven't ben showing of your special skills again have we Luke?' she snapped with little gratitude.

'Speaking of which how about a noble game of Sabacc?' someone suggested.

'Now with young Skywalker here thats a bit unpredictable, no-one knows what he is going to play!' Biggs objected.

'Not even he though,'

'Good point, Ben. All right, lets have a game!'

Luke certainly seemed to have some difficulty in following logic in this particular round of the Galaxy-wide card game. The 4 players after some thought laid down cards with their graphic designs on their backs upon the round brown-coloured table with two large legs underneath one of the many lights that brightened up the Inn as one could see the dark but starry sky outside the window.

After a time Luke looked up from his hand. He wasn't playing well. 'My luck's obviously not in tonight, think I'll give up,' said he. 'Oh, well, Ten credits that cost me, you win some you lose some,' he thought. But he also thought, 'What happened to that Pie I put on, it must be ready now,' he called Sally who told him to check and he, Sally and Ben went to the kitchen

'You haven't actually switched the stove on' pointed out Ben. Luke swore and did so.

'It'll still take half an hour,' said Sally.

'Half an hour! no way,' Luke said and pointed at the Pie.

'That didn't do anything,' said Sally,

'Oh wait,' Luke replied and the 3 of them walked away.

Then there was a little bang. Everyone turned around then Luke's pie exploded, showering Luke, Ben and Sally in harmless, but very messy stuff. 'You, Luke, are tidying up this kitchen and you're not leaving until this is done!' Sally yelled. Biggs looked into the kitchen and laughed,

'If you're using youre special skills on your greenhouses, you'd better go back and check also,'

But Ben Kenobi simply smiled and offered, 'I'll give you some help Luke, for the price of an Ale. You've spend ten credits on Sabacc so 3 more shouldn't hurt. How like you're father you are,'

Luke smiled and got to work. 'An expensive evening but a fun one, he thought.

A year later Luke was sitting in the same bar. Again he met Ben The first time for a few months but this was the nature of his relationship with the old man. Unlike that with Ted who gave him a greeting. Ted he saw any time he entered the Red Jawa. Now Luke didn't mind a drink like all of the lads but Ted seemed to be here just about always. Didn't he have anything better to do, Luke often wondered.

.'So, still here?' Ben asked him with a smile.

'Too right I am, I just can't seem to get away! Would you believe our Droids given up the ghost, so I'm busier than ever, Uncle wants us to build a herb extension and you don't want to know how expensive they are. I have to assist in buying a new Droid I'll never get away,' Luke complained.

'So you want to see the wide Universe, it can be dangerous place, The Empires in charge and it isn't pleasant,'

'Maybe Ben. But the Empire doesn't have influence here does it, out in the wilds of the outer rim, we tend to look after ourselves, the Empire doesn't worry us does it, after all, we can have this conversation without anyone inteferring,' Luke drunk a bit more of his drunk and looked at the dark, sandy, large dunes that were dominating the scenary outside the window of the Inn.

'Not totally, said Ted with no prompting. 'You were complaining about the prices of refurbishing just now. Well, I don't know if you've noticed young man but a lot of your price goes on Taxes to the Empire.'

'Maybe but we've always had VAT,' Luke argued,

'Not just VAT but with all of the other Empire Taxes, I'd say that half of your cost goes to the Empire. And if you can afford it many others can't. And whilst young Luke, I know you dont have much interest in politics, the politics is often the Empire and it can take an interest in you, weather you like it or no,' Ted warned Luke ominously, finishing his pint and ordering another.

'Yes, some of those bills are a bit high and we don't see much benefit,' Luke thought, 'Still don't really see what that has to do with me, I just want to see the Galaxy a bit rather than get involved in politics,' Luke smiled, not totally hearing what Ted had said.

'You sound a little bitter,' Ben suggested to Ted, drinking a swig of his ale and rolling up a little of his blue robe with white trousers,

'Maybe I am,' Ted agreed. He looked around quickly at the gloomy atmosphere of the Inn. 'Its just this Empire. It gets to me at times. All its evil and there is nothing I can do about it. Every year it seems to get worse and more powerful. I sometimes wonder what will become of the Galaxy.' Ted did seem to take this all a bit personally undeneath his dark face and he was a little young to be so bitter.

'All who oppose the Empire must do so in their own manner!' said Ben with a surprising undercurrent of emotion. You heard about Bothan, a couple I was talking to earlier have come from their.'

'Part of a recent Imperial operation,' Sally backed Ted up. '10 million Bothans, intelligent beings killed. And only because a few dared to oppose the Empire peacefully. How is that right?' Luke did think he was hearing more and more of these type of stories. And the Imperial justifications always semed limp. But he replied with a frown on his young face.

'I still don't see what this has to do with me, however. As I say I just want to see the galaxy a little, maybe go to the Academy if Owen ever lets me, I may have a few adventures. But not for say, 35 years I hope. I might be a bit old by then.'

'Youre friend Biggs made it to the Academy, didn't he?'

'Yes, Ben, good for him, I only wish I could,'

'Strange how those that profess to oppose the Empire desire to go into the Imperial training Academy,' Ted pointed out ironically,

'On the contrary, the Rebellions best recruits have come from the Imperial Academy, smiled Ben commenting on the numbers of pilots that defected to the Rebellion that has started out from the Imperial Academy and trumping Ted on the points of irony, though it was true that the better pilots and troopers did tend to end up in the Rebellion.

'This Rebellion, do they have much of a chance you think?' Luke asked.

'Well, a new hope has arising in the Galaxy, stronger than many in the past, officially lead and have a large force!' Ben answered.

'But they are still hopelessly outnumbered. And don't officially control a single square kilometre of territory anyway, if any member of the rebellion was to step foot anywhere in the Galaxy and be bold enough to admit it, he'd be smashed as we were. The only reason we can talk about it now is because we are in the wilds of the outer rim, but I imagine the Empire will get to us eventually,' Ted said pessimistically.

'Ar, as you say, though only offically, it might be the Rebellions tacticts to fight guerilla warfare,'

'Possibly, if what you say is true, I might have to get back into action again, Ben!' Ted replied.

'Anyway, Luke have you had any more occurances of your 'Special talents?'

'Yes, Ben, it happens now and again. I try not to use it so much now, its just a bit unpredictable as you saw the other year. I don't ask for this, apart from the fact that this helps in my rather spectacular performance at Pod Car racing, but what of that? Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru just think I'm a bit wierd,' Luke sighed. Thinking about how odd he could appear to other Tantooine citizens at times.

'Maybe one day I might be able to help! However, as we are all finished, it's nearly close, shall we be of? I'd appreciate a little lift, actually, Luke as the Sandunes are in your direction.'

'Yes, sure thing,' Luke agreed to the old man, and the three stood up, put their chairs away, as this was their local and all knew the proper protocol put their glasses up to the bar and with a few words of farewell to Sally moved out of the door of the now empty Inn, Ted moved away and Luke flew up quickly in to the Tantooine sky on his Hooper with Ben.

THE BEGINNING.


End file.
